Page 5 - June 2017 Newsletter

CHICAGO LODGE 7
Official Magazine
President’s Report
FRATERNAL ORDER OF POLICE CHICAGO LODGE #7
EXECUTIVE BOARD
KEVIN GRAHAM
President
PATRICK J. MURRAY
First Vice President
Martin Preib
Second Vice President
Jay R. Ryan
Third Vice President
Greg Bella
Recording Secretary
Michael P. Garza
Financial Secretary
John Capparelli
Treasurer
Dean C. Angelo, Sr.
Immediate Past President
Sergeants-at-Arms
William Burns James Jakstavich Michael Mette
Trustees
Harold Brown Andrew Cantore Mark Donahue William Dougherty Pat Duckhorn Sergio Escobedo Fernando Flores Joseph Gentile Danny Gorman Ken Hauser Rick King Frank Quinn Carlos Salazar Ron Shogren Mark Tamlo Daniel Trevino Michael Underwood
Field Rep
Robert Bartlett Rich Aguilar
It’s contract time
Contract negotiations are upon us.
The upcoming con- tract is perhaps the most important challenge of my administration. During the campaign, I made it the centerpiece
of every speech I made, and with good reason.
We are at a crucial stage.
One of my first decisions when I took over as president of the FOP was to hire the law firm of Asher, Gittler & D’Alba, Ltd. In my mind, this is the best law firm to repre- sent us in these negotiations. The Lodge 7 Executive Board unani- mously supported the motion to retain this prestigious labor law firm.
In these negotiations, we will have to hold the line on some is- sues, gain more on others and re- verse previous losses. Which ones? That is up to you. Here is why:
By the time this issue of Chicago Lodge 7 Magazine comes out, you will have received an email from Field Representative Rich Aguilar
that will ask you to list the three most important things you want to see in the new contract.
Fill that out and send it back to us. It’s part of our effort to get a contract that the members want. Unions are stronger when the members have the most control, so please take the time to fill it out carefully and thoughtfully and send it back to us.
When we get your responses, we will tally them up and determine what our members have identified as their priorities. This inventory will become the guideline for the negotiating committee.
As it is now, there are certainly some central issues that will come up during negotiations. One is cer- tain to be discipline.
In Chicago, vilifying the police is a cottage industry that takes many forms, not the least of which are civil lawsuits against officers. These civil lawsuits often take root in complaints that originate in IPRA. Rather than garner more disci- plinary measures, the City, includ-
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KEVIN GRAHAM
CHICAGO LODGE 7 ■ JUNE 2017 5